Packing-auger for bag-filling machines.



J. P. MGLAUGHLIN & W. SMITH. PACKING AUGER FOR BAG FILLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1911.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

UNIT i ears r FFIQE.

PAGKING-AUGER FOR BAG-FILLING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1911.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Serial No. 623,277.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, Josnrn FRED Mo- LAUGHLIN and WVILLARD SMITH,citizens of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, in the county ofGreene and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Packing-Angers for Bag- Filling Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to packing augers for bag filling machines andmore particularly to augers for packing flour, meal, and like material,and the primary aim of the invention is to provide an auger soconstructed that it will effectually perform its packing functionwithout any appreciable waste of the material being packed. In the useof the ordinary packing auger, when rotation of the auger is stopped forthe purpose of removing a. filled bag and placing an empty bag beneaththe barrel of the packer, a greater or less quantity of the materialwill fall between the blades of the auger and be wasted. This is duepartly to the fact that the upper end of each blade of the auger lies inthe same vertical plane as does the lower end of the other blade of theauger, and further to the fact that no means is provided for closing thespace between the upper end of one blade and the lower end of the otherblade.

The present invention therefore contemplates extending the upper end ofeach blade over the lower end of the other blade, and the provision ofmeans for automatically closing the space between the upper end of oneblade and the lower end of the other blade when rotation of the augerceases.

A further aim of the invention is to so construct and arrange the meansfor closing the space between the ends of the blades, that they will inno wise interfere with the passage of the material between the bladeswhile the auger is rotating.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of the auger embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is abottom plan view thereof.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingby the same reference characters.

In the drawing, there is shown the lower end of the barrel of a bagfilling machine indicated by the numeral 1, and mounted to rotate withinthe barrel is the usual shaft 2 which supports, at its lower end, thepacking auger. This auger includes a sleeve 3 which is held upon theshaft 2 for rotation therewith by means of a set-screw 4L and formedupon the sleeve 3 are two helical blades 5 which are arranged atopposite sides of the sleeve, as in the case of the ordinary packingauger, and serve, when the shaft 2 is rotated, to feed the materialwithin the barrel 1, into a sack or bag arranged at the mouth of thebarrel and to pack the material in the said bag.

By referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, it will be observed that theupper end-portion of each of the blades 5 projects over the lowerend-portion of the other blade, or in other words overlies the same. Inthe ordinary form of packing auger, the upper end-edge of each blade isin the same vertical plane as the lower end'edge of the other blade andfor this reason a greater or less quantity of the material being packed,will be lost from between the ends of the blades when rotation of theshaft 2 is stopped. In the form of auger shown in the drawing, however,when the shaft 2 ceases to rotate, the material between the blades, ormore specifically speaking between the upper end of each blade and thelower end of the other blade, will pack at about the dotted line shownin Fig. l of the drawing, and there will therefore not be the sametendency for it to fall from between the said ends of the blades as isthe case in the use of the ordinary auger. In order to further insureagainst loss of material from between the blades when the auger isstopped, there is hinged adjacent the upper end of each blade, to theunder side thereof, a gate 6 which rests by gravity with its lower endseating upon the upper face of the other blade at the lower end thereof.When the auger is rotating, the material, acting against the gates 6,will serve to swing these gates upwardly and they will seat in recesses7 formed in the under sides of their respective blades, and be flushtherewith. Thus, when the auger is rotating the gates will offer noresistance to the passage of material between the ends of the blades,but as soon as rotation of the shaft 2 is stopped,

the gates will fall by gravity, thereby not only closing the spacebetween the upper end of each blade and the lower end of the otherblade, but also packing the material between the ends of the blades andthus further insuring against its loss.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. Apacking auger having helical blades arranged with the upper end of eachblade projecting over the lower end-portion of the other blade, and agate suspended from the projecting upper end of each blade and restingby gravity upon the upper side of the said lower end portion of theother blade.

2. A packing auger having helical blades, each blade being formed with arecess in its under side at its upper end, and a gate sus- 2 pended fromthe upper end of each blade? and adapted to be swung to position to liewithin the recess of its respective blade.

3. A packing auger having helical blades arranged with the upper end ofeach blade projecting over the lower end portion of the other blade, anda gate supported for free swinging movement from the under side of theprojecting upper end portion of each blade and resting, by gravity, atits lower end against the upper side of the projecting lower end portionof the other blade.

In testimony whereof, we aifix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

J. FRED MoLAUGHLIN. L. 3. WILLARD SMITH.

Vitnesses JOHN MOLAUGHLIN, ROBERT W. CI-IIPMON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

